EU aid envoy decries Myanmar camp conditions

YANGON : A European Union humanitarian envoy on Saturday voiced concern at the “dramatic deprivation” in Myanmar’s camps for tens of thousands of people, mainly Muslims, made homeless by deadly unrest in Rakhine State.

Violence in Rakhine last year killed scores and displaced 140,000 people - many from the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority - prompting international concern about the state, which is now virtually segregated on religious lines. After a visit to the area this week, Claus Sorensen, the head of the EU’s humanitarian aid department (ECHO), said in a statement he was disturbed by the “dramatic deprivation of the affected communities and disrespect of fundamental rights”. He also voiced alarm at threats by “extremist elements” against aid workers trying to deliver basic necessities to the camps, echoing growing international concern over the issue.

His comments on the trip, which concludes Saturday, come after Myanmar on Thursday said it would not grant citizenship to people identifying themselves as Rohingya, despite pressure from the United Nations.

Myanmar sees the Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Many in the Buddhist-majority nation view the group with hostility, referring to them as “Bengalis” — an often pejorative term.